Southside to lose two Royal Bank branches

John A. MacInnes

Fury has erupted on the southside with the news that The Royal Bank of Scotland are to close two local branches.

Locals and politicians alike are up-in-arms over the decision while social media has been used by many to express their anger at the decision.

The two branches which are closing are located in Netherlee and Barrhead.

Kirsten Oswald MP said: ““I am extremely disappointed to hear that these Royal Bank of Scotland branches are closing in East Renfrewshire.

“Local residents will rightly feel short changed by this. Those residents without access to a car will be particularly badly affected, and the changes will not be positive for our local business areas.

“RBS is a publicly owned company who paid out £373million in bankers bonuses last year. The decision to close two vital local branches poses serious questions to be answered about their priorities.

“I am particularly concerned about the lack of information on the reasons for these two closures and I will be seeking further information from RBS, about how these decisions were reached, what local factors were taken into account, and what avenues are available to discuss this further.”

The bank responded saying: “We have taken the difficult decision to close the Netherlee branch on August 11 as only 52 customers use the branch on a regular basis. 29 of whom already use other branches in the area. The Barrhead branch closes on August 15 because the number of transactions at the branch has reduced by 17 per cent since 2011.

“We will ensure there are a number of alternative ways for people in the area to continue to bank with us.

“Between now and the closure date, we will engage with our customers on this.”